Major automobile manufacturers have been lining up left and right these past few months to announce all the ways their upcoming vehicle lines will take advantage of new platform-level smartphone support. For the most part, that’s meant Android Auto and Apple’s CarPlay, with brands like GMC, Buick, Chevy, and Hyundai all talking about which of their vehicles will provide integrated in-dash access. Now Volkswagen’s the latest to get its fleet ready to work with your phone.

Volkswagen intends to offer its new MIB II infotainment system on the majority of its 2016 lineup. Through that, you’ll be able to access the VW Car-Net system that includes the company’s App-Connect feature: this is what will give drivers the ability to link up their phones through not only Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, but also the cross-platform MirrorLink.

And while Volkswagen intends to make Car-Net (and correspondingly, App-Connect) available on most of its vehicles, it’s not without its catches: though it comes with a free trial, Car-Net is a (rather pricy, at $18 a month) subscription service, and with App-Connect described as a component of Car-Net, it sounds like you’ll have to pay up – and keep paying up – in order to enjoy full car/smartphone integration.

Stephen has been writing about electronics since 2008, which only serves to frustrate him that he waited so long to combine his love of gadgets and his degree in writing. In his spare time, he collects console and arcade game hardware, is a motorcycle enthusiast, and enjoys trapping blue crabs. Stephen's first mobile device was a 624 MHz Dell Axim X30, which he's convinced is still a viable platform. Stephen longs for a market where phones are sold independently of service, and bandwidth is cheap and plentiful; he's not holding his breath. In the meantime, he devours smartphone news and tries to sort out the juicy bits Read more about Stephen Schenck!